Choke collar for animals

ABSTRACT

A choke collar for animals, including a neck part and a pull chain. The neck part is strand-shaped and is composed of a plurality of chain links having two final links and connecting links. The connecting links include final intermediate connecting links adjacent the two final links. Each of the final links is provided with two eyes for engagement with the final connecting links and with an eyelet. The pull chain forms a closed loop and reaches through the eyelets of the two final links. At least one of the two final links is configured as a plate, which has a first end region and a second end region and is provided, in the first end region, with the eyelet and, in the second end region, with the two eyes for engagement. The second end region is located opposite the first end region.

The invention relates to a choke collar for animals, for dogs forexample, with a strand-shaped neck part and a pull chain, the neck partbeing composed of a plurality of chain links comprising connecting linksand two final links, said final links being each provided with two eyesfor engagement with the final connecting links adjacent the two finallinks and with an eyelet, the pull chain forming a closed loop thatreaches through the eyelets of the two final links.

In this choke collar well known in the art, both the final links and theconnecting links are made of bent wire. The eyelets are therebysubstantially formed by two windings of the wire material used. The eyesfor engagement are formed by end regions of the wire blank used to makethe final link. These end regions are bent back to form the eyes forengagement, which, as a result thereof, are approximately shaped likedroplets. The two final links are built according to the same principle.Each final link meshes a final connecting link. The two final connectinglinks thereby differ. The final connecting link of the one end region,i.e., the one which is allocated to the one final link, is builtaccording to the same principle as the other connecting links. This isdue to the fact that the chain has a preferred direction in which thechain links will mesh and be connected together. In the same way as theother connecting links that are built according to the same principleand will be called intermediate links hereinafter, this first finalconnecting link has, on its inner side, arms that project toward theneck of the animal, said arms being provided with free ends. These armsoriginate from a base member of this first final connecting link, whichis level. This also applies for all of the other intermediate links. Thearms project from this plane of the base member, forming one U-shapedhook region each. These hook regions mesh with the eyes for engagement.

The other, second final connecting link has a different base member. Thearms are not different from those of the first final connecting link.

To put the choke collar on an animal, the neck part must be opened. Thisis achieved by pushing together the arms of the first final connectinglink, which are in their position of rest in which they slightly divergetoward their free ends, and by pushing them through the eyes forengagement so that the arms disengage from the eyes.

This however has the following disadvantage: as both the correspondingfinal link and the first final connecting link are made of bent wire, apermanent deformation of the distance between the two eyes forengagement and/or a similarly permanent deformation of the main piece,which causes the relative spacing between the two hook regions tochange, also results in a noticeable change in the quality of theconnection between the final link and the first final connecting link.This may even result in the fact that the first final connecting linkmay be easily unhooked from the final link and that, in any case, thedesired spring force of the arms, which is to counteract this unhooking,is no longer strong enough.

Whereas in a brand new, unused choke collar the U-shaped hook regionsare each located approximately in the center of the eyes for engagement,in used choke collars the relative spacing between the two arms or therelative spacing between the two eyes for engagement has an increasingtendency to be either increased or reduced, which results in the factthat the central position is no longer given and that it becomesconsiderably more easy to push the arms out of the eyes for engagement.As already mentioned, this may lead to an unwanted release, that is tosay to a disengagement between the final link and the first finalconnecting link. This is disadvantageous though and is not allowed tooccur in practice.

In state of the art collars, the second final connecting link at theother end of the neck part is connected to the corresponding final linkin such a manner that it cannot be detached there. This also constitutesa drawback since a user does not always exactly know at which final linkhe may open the neck part.

In view thereof, it is the object of the invention to develop the chokecollar of the type mentioned herein above, to more specifically preventa final link and the corresponding final connecting link fromundesirably disengaging and to make the choke collar more easy to use.

In view of the choke collar of the type mentioned herein above, thesolution to this object is to configure at least one of the two finallinks as a plate that is provided, in a first end region, with theeyelet and, in a second end region located opposite the first endregion, with the two eyes for engagement.

In this choke collar, at least one of the two final links is no longermade of bent wire, but is a plate which is shaped like a triangle with avery rounded apex, the shape being very proximate the shape of arectangle. In a first end region, the plate has the eyelet and in asecond end region, which is located opposite said first end region, ithas the two eyes for engagement. The relative spacing between the twoeyes for engagement is thus fixated. Accordingly, this spacing cannot bealtered by any manipulations. As a result thereof, the relative spacingbetween the two arms of the first final connecting link always remainswithin a predetermined range. It cannot happen that a user compensatesan increased spacing between the two eyes for engagement by accordinglyadjusting and increasing the spacing between the two arms, as this isthe case with the prior art choke collar. Accordingly, it is no longerpossible to have a deviation of one of the two cooperating partscompensated by a similar plastic deformation of the other part, whichresults in the end in an ever increasing or ever diminishing spacing andin considerable impairment of the functionality. It is precisely becauseof the fixed spacing between the two eyes for engagement that only thespacing between the two arms of the first final connecting link may andhas to be adjusted. This spacing can never get out of the normal range.

Furthermore, the spacing between the two eyes for engagement is alsovery rigidly kept, the spacing between the arms of the first finalconnecting link being repeatedly adjusted in such a manner that itremains in the standard range, irrespective of any bending attempt of auser. Since the spacing between the two eyes for engagement is much morerigid than the spacing between the two arms of the first finalconnecting link, the latter must repeatedly adjust, said adjustmentoccurring automatically at each hooking and unhooking procedure,irrespective of a bending attempt of a user.

In addition, the plate has considerable aesthetic advantages. It afterall permits to carry hints, about the manufacturer for example or of howto use the collar. The plate makes it more easy for the user to open andclose the neck part, as the user now immediately sees where he has toopen the neck part when he wants to put the choke collar on an animal ortake it off. If, with the prior art choke collar, the individual linksof the neck part could not be distinguished very clearly, this is nowconsiderably facilitated. As a result thereof, it poses significant useradvantages.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the two final links areconfigured as plates, these two final links are preferably builtaccording to the same principle. The advantage thereof is that now theway of hooking is the same for the two final links and a user needs nolonger look for the right end region of the neck part as this was thecase with the prior art collar.

In a preferred embodiment, the eyelet and the two eyes for engagementare holes, the respective center of which is situated on the angles ofan isosceles triangle. The angles of the triangle sides are located inthe center of the respective one of the eyes for engagement and have anangular measure of 50 to 70%, preferably of 60%. The plate thus has anice shape and allows convenient utilization.

In still another preferred embodiment, the plate is limited by pieces inthe shape of an arc of a circle that exhibit a course that is concentricwith the centers of the eyelets and of the eyes for engagement which areconfigured as holes. As a result thereof, the plate has a very handy,rounded shape and acts, in the pull direction of the associated andadjacent parts, substantially like a ring.

In a preferred embodiment, all of the connecting links are made of bentwire. As compared to previously known choke collars, it is substantiallythe final links that are different. The functionality remains unchanged.Accordingly, the inventive chain maintains the user advantages obtainedwith the prior art collar.

If the two final links are configured as plates, the second finalconnecting link of the prior art collar can still be used having thesame design, but hooking has to be performed in the reverse direction.Its arms are no longer connected to an intermediate link but mesh withthe eyes for engagement of the plate, which constitutes thecorresponding final link.

In another preferred embodiment, the diameter inside of the round eyesfor engagement is slightly larger, more specifically 30 to 120% largerthan the diameter of the wire of which the connecting links, morespecifically the final connecting links, are made. In this way, theadjustment of the spacing between the arms of the final connecting linksas it has been described is achieved over and over again. It may therebybe advantageous to give the eyes for engagement an oval shape, thelongitudinal direction of the oval being oriented in the pull directionof the chain. The lateral positioning of the arms is thus improved, andthe hooking and unhooking procedures are facilitated.

Further advantages and characteristics of the invention will becomeapparent in the remaining claims and in the following description of anexemplary embodiment of the invention that is not limiting the scope ofthe invention and that is explained in more detail with reference to thedrawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a choke collar according to thestate of the art,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in the direction of sight in FIG. 1 of achoke collar in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 3 is a top view of a plate constituting a final link,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an intermediate link as it is utilizedfor the neck part according to the FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 5 is a top view similar to FIG. 3 of another embodiment of a plateconstituting the part of engagement and

FIG. 6 an illustration as in FIG. 5, but with the plate being configuredin another way.

As shown in FIG. 1, the previously known choke collar has a neck part 20and a pull chain 22. The latter forms a closed loop that not even theuser is capable of opening. By contrast, the neck part 20 is a strand ofchain links that may and must be opened in order to put the choke collaron an animal.

As can be surveyed from FIG. 1, the pull chain has an inner ring 24 andan outer ring 26 that are joined together by way of chain strands of thesame length. The pull chain closes the neck part so as to form a closedloop.

The neck part is terminated at either end by final links 28 that arebuilt according to the same principle. They are made of bent wire andform an eyelet 30 which s realized by almost two windings of the wirematerial used. A respective part of the pull chain 22 is passedtherethrough. The eyelets 30 are dimensioned in such a manner that thetwo rings 24 and as 26, and in any case the inner ring 24, cannot passthrough the eyelets 30.

Furthermore, each final link 28 has two wire regions with free endspointing toward the other chain links of the neck part 20. The free endsare thereby bent backward to form the two eyes for engagement 32. Thesection thereof has approximately the shape of a droplet.

Connecting links of the neck part 20 are located between the final links28. The connecting links that are immediately adjacent the respectiveone of the final links 28 are termed final connecting links, the rightfinal connecting link in FIG. 1 is called the first final connectinglink 34. The final connecting link that is allocated to the left finallink in FIG. 1 is termed the second final connecting link 36. As can besurveyed from FIG. 1, these final connecting links 34, 36 are not builtaccording to the same principle. The first final connecting link israther built according to the same principle as the other connectinglinks, which are called intermediate links 38. These links areillustrated in FIG. 4 which is a perspective view of such anintermediate link 38, which also squares with the first final connectinglink 34. The choke collar in accordance with FIG. 1 has six intermediatelinks 38. The number of intermediate links is optional as theintermediate links may be released from their connection in the chain.The length of the neck part 20 may thus be varied by inserting orremoving intermediate links 38.

As shown in particular in FIG. 4, the first final connecting link 34 andthe intermediate links 38 each consist of a base member, which islocated in one plane and is shaped like a W, and of two arms 40, whichare provided with free ends 42. These arms 40 protrude from the plane,they in turn are located in an arm plane that is oriented at an angle ofapproximately 30% relative to the plane. The arms 40 are thereby bentbackward in such a manner that U-shaped hook regions are formed that actlike hooks. The arms 40 are bent toward the free end thereof while beingrounded toward the top, and moreover, the free arms are pointing indiverging directions so that the spacing between the arms 40 increasestoward the free ends 42 thereof.

The second final connecting link 36 has just the same shaped arms 40with free ends 42 and U-shaped hook regions 44 as the intermediate links38 and the first final connecting link 34 respectively. It differs fromthe latter though in that the center region is now no longer shaped likea “W” but also forms a book that passes through the two eyes 32 forengagement 20 of the corresponding final link 28. There, the final link28 and the corresponding final connecting link 36 cannot be immediatelydisengaged; before it can be disengaged the corresponding final link 28,the second final connecting link 36 must first be disengaged from theother neighboring link. As a result thereof, it is isolated.Accordingly, a user will not carry out such a disengagement but willrather only separate the first final connecting link 34 from thecorresponding final link 28. The neck part 20 can be opened between theintermediate links 38.

As shown in FIG. 2, the final links 28 are still built according to thesame principle, but are now configured as plates. FIG. 3 is a top viewof such a plate. The plates have the same surface as the other parts ofthe chain, i.e., they are nickel-plated, chromium-plated or treatedaccordingly. But they may also be of another realization in order tomake them better recognizable and to better mark the site at which theneck part 20 is to be disengaged.

As can be surveyed from the FIGS. 2 and 3, the plate-shaped final links28 are somewhat shorter than the other chain links. Whereas the lengthof the intermediate links 38 and of the other chain links is slightly inexcess of 40 mm, the overall length of the final links 28 configured asplates is slightly less than 30 mm. Accordingly, the effective lengththe final links 28 contribute to the length of the neck part 40 and, asa result thereof, to the closed loop that is put around the neck of ananimal, is smaller.

As can be surveyed from the Figs., the external contour of theplate-shaped final links 28 is substantially rectangular, the contourmay also be described by an isosceles triangle that is extremely roundedat its very acute angle.

The plate-shaped final links 28 have a first end region 46 where theyare very rounded and where there is provided the circular eyelet 30whose inside diameter is approximately 14 mm. A free inside diameter maybe selected here, said diameter corresponding to the inside diameter ofthe eyelet 30 according to the state of the art (FIG. 1). Advantageouslyhowever, the inside diameter is chosen to be slightly smaller, so thatit largely suffices to thread the respective part of the pull chain 22therethrough. This is the case in the exemplary embodiment shown;comparing the FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the inside diameter ofthe eyelets 30 is considerably smaller in FIG. 2.

In the first end region 46, the plate-shaped final link 28 is bounded byan arc of a circle extending almost 180 degrees and being centered onthe center of the eyelet 30. The material thickness in the longitudinaldirection of the chain is approximately 2-4 mm. As a result thereof, thefirst end region acts almost as a ring in the direction of pull of thechain, it actually represents a half ring.

The second end region 48 is oriented straight in the exemplaryembodiment shown, the two eyes for engagement 32 are located at thecorner points thereof, the inside dimensions of said eyes being, like inthe prior art collar, considerably smaller than those of the eyelet 30.But here, the eyes for engagement 32 are round. Whereas the diameter ofthe wire material out of which the intermediate links are made, rangesbetween 2 and 3 mm, the side diameter of the eyes for engagement rangesbetween 4 and 5 mm and is accordingly twice the size thereof.

Between the two end regions 46, 48 there remains a field 50 that canaccommodate useful hints, firm names, and so on. Such a field 50 wasneither possible nor provided in the prior art collar.

As can be surveyed from FIG. 3, the borders of the plates exhibit acourse that is concentric with the center of the respective one of theeyes for engagement 32 also in the region of the two eyes for engagement32, so that here too ring-like conditions are obtained. The curveextends for slightly more than 90 degrees. For the rest, the boundariesof the plates are straight lines.

As contrasted with prior art, the cooperation of the plate-shaped finallinks 28 of the neck part 20 with the allocated final connecting links34, 36 is realized in the same way. To achieve this goal, a piece isused as second final connecting link 36 which is built according to thesame principle as the second final connecting link according to priorart, but in this case, said final connecting link is used in the otherdirection within the chain. As a result thereof, its arms do notcooperate with the corresponding intermediate link 38, but with the eyesfor engagement 32.

FIG. 5 shows a modified realization of the plate constituting the twofinal links 28 that are built according to the same principle.Hereinafter, we shall only describe the differences between thisrealization and the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. Now, the two eyes forengagement are no longer circular holes, but long holes that areoriented at an oblique angle of e.g., 30 degrees to the pull directionof the chain. At their lower end, which is located at the greatestdistance from the eyelet 30, these eyes for engagement are separated bya distance that equals that of the plate of FIG. 3. At their upper endhowever, the relative spacing equals the spacing between the free ends42 of the respective one of the corresponding final connecting links 34and 36. As a result thereof, said final connecting link can be inserteddirectly at the upper end regions of the eyes for engagement 32, withoutthe arms 40 having to be bent. It then glides downward in the pulldirection of the chain. The U-shaped hook regions 44 then abut on thelower rim of the eyes for engagement 32 in just the same way as in theembodiment in accordance with FIG. 3.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 largely corresponds to that of FIG. 5, onlythat now, it is more difficult for the hook regions 44 to travel back.Now, the long holes have no longer the same width along their entirelength, but are provided with a narrow portion 52. Said narrow portionhas the shape of a saw tooth. The hook regions 44 must glide past thisnarrow portion 52. On closing the collar, they glide from the top to thebottom past the narrow portion 52, which is promoted by the saw toothshape of the narrow portion 52. On the return motion as it is to beexecuted to undo it, the hook regions 44 knock against the narrowportion 52, which impairs disengagement.

It is also possible to insert other stops into the eyes for engagementconfigured as long holes in embodiments similar to those shown in theFIGS. 5 and 6. Between the two end positions, spring tongues as they areknown to be used in trigger snaps may be provided for example, or arms,which are spring loaded and completely block the return motion, may bearticulated to the plate.

1. A choke collar for animals comprising: a neck part; and a pull chain,the neck part being composed of a plurality of chain links including twofinal links and connecting links, said connecting links including finalconnecting links adjacent the two final links, each of said final linksbeing provided with two eyes for engagement with the final connectinglinks and with an eyelet, means for opening the neck part between eachfinal link and the adjacent final connecting link, each of said finalconnecting links having two arms, said two arms having free ends, thetwo arms being detachably insertable in the eyes of the final links,wherein the pull chain forms a closed loop reaching through the eyeletsof the two final links, and wherein at least one of the two final linksis configured as a plate having a solid central area, said plate havinga first end region and a second end region and being provided, in thefirst end region, with the eyelet and, in the second end region, withthe two eyes for engagement, said second end region being locatedopposite the first end region.
 2. The choke collar of claim 1, whereinthe eyelet and the two eyes for engagement are configured as holes inthe plate, the respective center of said holes being situated on theangles of an isosceles triangle.
 3. The choke collar of claim 1, whereinthe two final links are configured as plates, wherein the two finalconnecting links, which are associated with said plates, have adifferent shape and have arms with free ends that project inward,wherein the arms of the two final connecting links mesh with the eyesfor engagement of the neighboring plate.
 4. The choice collar of claim2, wherein the holes have centers and the place is delimited by linesfollowing an are of a circle which lines are concentric to theneighboring centers.
 5. The choke collar of claim 1, wherein the twofinal links are configured as plates.
 6. The choke collar of claim 1,where the connecting links including the final connecting links are madeof bent wire.
 7. The choke collar of claim 4, wherein the diameter ofthe eyes for engagement is slightly larger than the diameter of a wireused a make said connecting links.
 8. The choke collar of claim 1, wherethe connecting links have arms, which arms have free ends projectinginwardly.
 9. The choke collar of claim 1, wherein the arms converge in a“V” shape and are increasingly diverging toward their free ends.
 10. Thechoke collar of claim 1, wherein the place is level and the materialthickness thereof ranges between 1 and 4 mm.
 11. The choke collar ofclaim 1, wherein the plate constitutes a surface for carryinginformation.
 12. The choke collar of claim 1, wherein the length of theat least one final link configured as a plate is smaller than the lengthof the connecting links.
 13. The choke collar of claim 12, wherein thelength of the at least one final link configured as a plate is between50 and 80% of the length of the connecting links.
 14. The choke collarof claim 1, wherein the animals are dogs.
 15. The choke collar of claim4, wherein the diameter of the eyes for engagement is 30 to 120% largerthan the diameter of a wire used to make said connecting links.
 16. Thechoke collar of claim 1, wherein the plate is level and the materialthickness of the plate amounts to 2 mm.